


He Holds His Breath 'til He Turns Blue

by tiniestmite



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Gen, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Whump, Whumptober 2020, carlos just appears at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:20:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26988889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/pseuds/tiniestmite
Summary: TK gets hurt on a call. But no one else sees so who says he has to tell anyone?Written for whumptober 2020, day 13
Relationships: Judd Ryder & TK Strand, Owen Strand & TK Strand
Comments: 14
Kudos: 141
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	He Holds His Breath 'til He Turns Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Probably medically inaccurate because I didn't bother to do any research beforehand ://
> 
> Title from "Word of Mouth" by Shakey Graves
> 
> Beta'd by [Max](https://sunsetcxrve.tumblr.com/)

The first thing he is aware of is the heat. It’s too hot. What is the thermostat set to? Was he the last one to touch it? Wait-  _ where even is he? _

That’s when TK notices it’s getting harder to breathe. He tries his best to take a deep breath but it feels like there’s no oxygen left in the room. Whatever room he’s in, that is. 

Forcing his eyes open, he’s met with the image of a wide hole in the ceiling above him. Turning his head to the side he spots his oxygen mask laying a few feet away, along the crackling fire surrounding him becoming more apparent. Suddenly the memories of the 126 responding to house fire come flooding back to him.

  
But that doesn’t explain how he went from checking the house for its occupants to laying on his back in what appears to be the basement. He fell through the floor, that much is clear. 

Mustering up the strength, he extends his arm out feeling around until he grabs the mask and wastes no time holding it up to his face, allowing the fresh oxygen to enter his lungs. 

“Firefighter Strand, do you copy?” The voice of his father crackles to life on his radio. It sounds urgent. How long had his father been calling for him? 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here,” he answers. “Heading out now.”

Spotting a staircase, surprisingly still intact, he somehow manages to shift himself into a seated position, before using all his strength to stand. In an auto-pilot manner, he works his way up the stairs, ignoring the protests his body gives him and the fuzziness of his surroundings. After what seems like an eternity, he makes his way out of the burning home and gasps at the relief of fresh air. 

Immediately upon his exit, he is greeted by Judds worried face. “Hey, what happened back in there? You disappeared on me, Strand.” 

That’s right. He was clearing the home with Judd before the two got separated. 

“Yeah, I uh - I’m not sure,” he replies hesitantly. 

“What do you mean, you’re not sure?”

Before he can answer, or explain further, he is interrupted by his father’s arrival. “Hey, you good? We lost you over the radio for a minute there.”

“Yeah, I’m good.” he answers automatically, averting Judd’s questioning gaze. 

“Good, you had me worried there for a bit. We don’t need any more hospital trips, do we?” His dad smiles, earning a nervous chuckle back from TK. 

* * *

Back at the firehouse, TK lets the warm water run over his aching joints. He had hoped that he could hold out heading to the showers until after everyone else had gone in so that they wouldn’t notice he was moving much slower than usual. But honestly, he just couldn’t wait to feel the relaxation upon standing under the hot shower head. 

He just had to hope that no one would notice the growing bruise forming on his side, extending all the way down to his lower back. 

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, he is suddenly met with a wave of dizziness. 

He squeezes his eyes shut and leans against the wall, waiting for the moment to pass. He tries to take a deep breath to stabilize the movement around him but he once again finds it hard to take in enough oxygen. 

“Woah man, you good?” He feels Paul rush to his side. 

He opens his mouth, trying to form the words to let the other man know he’s fine but instead he all but collapses, allowing Paul to stop him from completely falling over. 

He feels another figure come up to his other side but is unable to open his eyes to see who it is. 

“Probie, go get the Cap.” 

Mateo. 

He manages to open his eyes, meeting Paul’s worried gaze. Gasping for breath, he tries to find the words to reassure Paul that he is okay but is unable to. 

He sees his dad running up to him, with Michelle not far behind. Before he can say anything, he lets the blackness overtake him. 

* * *

The next thing TK is aware of is the beeping of the monitor and what he can only assume to be an oxygen mask wrapped tightly around his head. The distinct clean smell of his surroundings, a smell he is all too familiar with leads him to quickly deduce where he is. 

Opening his eyes, it takes a second to adjust to the bright lights of his hospital room. A room in which he has become all too comfortable in.

Taking in his surroundings, he notices the only other figure in the room is his father, shifting nervously in the uncomfortable hospital chair and his attention focused on the latest edition of People magazine.

He can’t help the small groan that escapes his mouth as he shifts his body to a better seated position, causing Owen to look up from his magazine.

“Hey,” his father says softly. “How do you feel?”

His head spins as he tries to piece together the memories of earlier in the day. “What happened?” 

“I should be asking you the same thing. According to your doctor, you experienced quite a bit of smoke inhalation from our call earlier, as well as a concussion. I’m assuming this happened when you fell through the floor, which you neglected to tell anyone about.”

_ Shit. _ “Oh, yeah.”

“Yeah, when OFI went back to the scene to investigate the cause, they saw the hole in the floor. Judd was actually the one to figure out you must have fallen through when you two got separated. He said you seemed a little out of it after you got out of the house.”

“Yeah, it’s a little fuzzy on the details but that sounds about right.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” His dad furrows his brow. They’ve been through this all too many times before. TK gets hurt, doesn’t want to own up to that it happened again, which then ultimately backfires.

“I don’t know,” he sighs. “I was going to, but then seeing how worried you were… I guess I just didn’t want to put you through that stress again.”

“TK,” Owen starts, but stops to compose his thoughts. “You know I’m always going to worry about you right?”

TK adverts his gaze, breaking eye contact, but nods.

“It comes with being your dad, and your captain. But you don’t have to shield me from it. I just want what's best for you, and I never want you to feel like you have to hide stuff from me, especially when it comes to your health. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Good.” Owen smiles, leaning over to give TK’s knee a light pat. 

“Did you call-“

“TK-“

Before he could get his question out, the person in question appears at the door. An exhausted Carlos, still in uniform and looking worried as ever. 

“Hey, you didn’t have to come,” TK says as Carlos walks over and sits on the bed, facing him.

“Of course I did, tiger.”

“I’ll give you two some space.” His dad smiles before walking out the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/) :)


End file.
